Rangers outgun Union City; Colts trump St. Phil

Friday

Jan 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM

By Ed Patinoed.patino@hillsdale.netREADING — A big fourth quarter helped the Reading High School girls basketball team pull away.With Jami Hubbard leading the charge, the Rangers took charge late in the game and scored a 40-28 victory over the Union City Chargers in a Big Eight Conference game Thursday.Coming off a tough loss to Athens on Tuesday, the Rangers found enough energy to bounce back strong. Reading (7-6, 4-5 Big Eight) held a four-point lead after the first quarter, then carried a 20-15 lead into halftime.Union City fought back in the third quarter and pulled to within one, but the Rangers regained control with a 13-2 run in the fourth.This was a good win and we played well in the fourth quarter," Reading coach Ryan Mulnix said. "We played safer on defense and were opportunistic there. I thought Jami played the best game of her varsity career tonight and I'm proud of her effort."Hubbard finished with 15 points and six rebounds to lead Reading. Brittany Marquart added nine points, while Michelle Davis scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.The Rangers will travel to Grass Lake for a non-conference game Monday.Hillsdale Academy 58, Battle Creek St. Philip 42Three players scored in double figures as the Hillsdale Academy girls basketball team scored a big road victory over the Battle Creek St. Philip Fighting Tigers in Thursday's Southern Central Athletic Association game.Hillsdale Academy (12-1, 9-0 SCAA) took the lead for good midway through the second quarter and eventually built a 31-23 lead entering halftime. A spark from Lyndee Wonders in the third quarter helped the Colts maintain the lead, then Hillsdale Academy outscored the Tigers 12-6 in the fourth.The Colts went 10-of-12 from the free-throw line on the night, including six free throws that clinched the game in the fourth. Hillsdale Academy also forced 21 steals on the night."Lyndee carried us offensively and defensively in the third quarter," Hillsdale Academy coach Kevin Reed said. "Our balance was the key for us tonight, and the girls shared the ball well. This was a really good win against a quality opponent, and it was a team effort."Olivia Jones scored 14 points to lead the Colts. Wonders added 11 points, while Christina Craig had 10 points and five assists. Elyse Lisznyai scored nine points and handed out six assists and Michaela Biegner grabbed eight rebounds.The Colts will host Hillsdale on Saturday in the "Dail-A-Ride" series.Bellevue 38, Pittsford 35Cold shooting from the floor and at the free-throw line hurt the Pittsford High School girls basketball team Thursday in a Southern Central Athletic Association road loss.Pittsford (7-5, 5-4 SCAA) held a three-point lead after the first quarter and a 19-15 lead at halftime. The Wildcats were unable to hold on to the lead as their offense disappeared in the second half.For the night, Pittsford was 11-of-43 from the floor and 4-of-12 from the charity stripe."We had an off night and couldn't get anything going," Pittsford coach Chris Hodos said. "No excuses. We couldn't put the ball in the net."Lyndsey Billington and Laura Smith both scored seven points to lead the Wildcats. Laura Clark grabbed five rebounds, while Maryah Betzer had three assists. Morgan Dominique and Kristin Belcher both forced four steals.Pittsford will visit Colon for another SCAA game Monday.Athens 49, Jonesville 33A slow start proved to be the difference for the Jonesville High School girls basketball team in Thursday's loss to the Athens Indians in a Big Eight Conference game.Jonesville (4-12, 1-8 Big Eight) played even with the Indians in the second half, but was unable to overcome a 24-8 halftime deficit."Athens is a solid team and their defense was stellar," Jonesville coach Tom Dunn said. "I thought we attacked the basket better tonight than we did last week. We're trying to get better game by game."Olivia Newell scored 12 points to lead the Comets. Kalie Spencer added seven points, while Emily Dawson had six rebounds and six blocks. Camille Hunter also grabbed six rebounds.Jonesville will visit Homer for another Big Eight game next Thursday.Colon 42, North Adams-Jerome 37The North Adams-Jerome High School girls basketball team fell on the road Wednesday in a Southern Central Athletic Association game.North Adams-Jerome will host Camden-Frontier in another SCAA game Monday.